Elecraft CW Net Report for February 8th, 2008

[Kevin Rock]

Good Evening,
   A walk outside just now showed me a bright moon and a sparkling deck.  The heavy mist has turned to frost while the fog has settled into the valleys.  The forecast is for snow until Saturday when my weather site runs off the calendar.  Accumulations are to be only a few inches a day so it won't be bad.  Temperatures will bounce above and below freezing so each day's snow may not last too long.  I did hear reports of rain in California.  That is good news for those folks awaiting a very droughty summer.  They have not received very much rain this winter.  I have not gotten anywhere near the normal amount of precipitation either.  
   Propagation was pretty good today.  There were many good comments about how strongly I was being heard.  I am glad; it has been too long with far too many months of weak signals.  There was only a little QSB and only on a couple stations.  The rest were easy copy though Tom was fading when he signed off the air.  From what I have read another solar stream is due on the 14th.  Well Happy Valentine's Day :)  The last one hit some time between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday night.  I was awarded with good conditions and strong signals on Friday morning for my daily sked.  It was nice not having to struggle to hear.  A few ions hitting the Heaviside layer are enough to keep things perking along, now if only the sunspots would appear more frequently.  

   On to the list =>

   On 14050.5 kHz at 2300z:
W6ZH - Pete - CA - K2 - 3342
N0SS - Tom - MO - K3 - 008
W0CZ - Ken - ND - K3 - 457
K9ZTV - Kent - MO - K3 - 21
W7AQK - Dave - AZ - K3 - 96
W6SU - John - CA - K3 - 1303
K6DGW - Fred - CA - K3 - 642
K6PJV - Dale - CA - K3 - 1183
NS7P - Phil - OR - K3 - 1826
W8FU - Bruce - OH - K3 - ??
W6HPK - Steve - WA - K3 - 365

  Pete I know you sent K2 but I am unsure of the serial number you sent.  This one does not match any of the numbers I have listed for you.  Maybe you have worked on someone's rig and are testing it; Dick did that last week.  I thought he had expanded his herd of Elecraft rigs but he subsequently disabused me of that notion ;)  My fingers are getting a little itchy now too.  I have not soldered any gear in a few months.  Winter is normally my time for bench work: both design and study.  Spring, summer, and fall each have their own set of chores which keep me away from the bench.  But winter is just right for sitting by the fire, listening to Fauré, and working on some electronics.  To every season ...  That being said I do have three protoboards within easy reach all running assembly language apps with a variety of appliances attached.  They may not be radios but they are electronics.  Firmware is quite a bit of fun to design and craft; I have been doing this for many years.  
   Hopefully the freezing rain in the Midwest will not be too severe.  Losing power from ice is probably the worst storm damage which can occur in the winter because the wires tend to get broken is so many spots it takes a very long time to get it all fixed and power back on again.  Good luck!  I also hope the folks in California keep getting rain so next summer is not so bad.  It is interesting to hear all the weather reports, I have enjoyed the hobby since I was very young.  
   Until next week stay well,
      73,
         Kevin.  KD5ONS  (Net Control Operator 5th Class)

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